I read somewhere that seatbelts are supposed to have a lifetime warranty, as per gov't regulations?

 

I had some vague recollection like that too, but my mother's ES300 seatbelt attachment thing broke (internal spring?) recently and the service advisor at the dealer said no. The part at the dealer was about $40, and came with a cable I didn't need to replace.

 

My view is, you should ask the dealer. What you hear on the net may or may not be true. The entity who would give you (or the manufacturer) the bill for services is the dealership [warranty work is billed to the manufacturer] . It may turn out a portion of the system is covered and some is not.

The thing we are discussing is the build up on the pillar anchor slot. Which can arguably be a maintenance/upkeep issue [one can even argue that the slot should have been wider .. there are pros and cons for that]. If you have a strip of velcro, it takes less than a minute to do.

Salim

 

the seatbelt is in prefect condition, no tears or fraying. i might just make the actual slot wider with a dremel tool or something like that? or will just velcro work?

 

Hpoe your right but I doubt it.

Seatbelts are a wear and tear item.

You could call Toyota or a dealer and ask them if they can "Goodwill" it for you.

 

I would advise against modifying the slot. Just clean it with velcro. With the belt in good condition it would be fine (assuming the retractor is good).

If the slot was wider you can pass a fold through.

Salim